Erislandy Lara Santoya is a Cuban American professional boxer, born on the 11th of April 1983, sometimes known in boxing circles by the nicknames El Oro de Guantanamo or The American Dream. He is highly respected for his technical skills.
How rich is Erislandy Lara? Sources estimate his net worth at $1 million, earned during his professional boxing career which didn’t begin until 2009.
Erislandy Lara Net Worth $1 million
Lara was born in Guantanamo, Cuba, a very impoverished area, but tasted success early as a teenager, when he became national amateur champion three times. He competed in 320 matches, winning 310, and was made captain of the Cuban national team. In 2005, he boxed at the World Championships, and took home gold in the welterweight division. In the same year at the World Cup, he took silver in Moscow, defeating Kazakhstan’s Bakhyt Sarsekbayev but ultimately losing to the Russian Andrey Balanov. In the Central American and Caribbean Games of 2006, he again took gold.
Lara left Cuba and attempted to defect in 2007. He had been expected to win gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His defection came as he competed in Rio de Jankier. He, and fellow boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux, slipped past guards, and spent weeks hiding out, waiting to escape to Europe. After being unable to find a way to evade authorities, Lara eventually handed himself in, and was returned to Cuba. He was banned indefinitely from boxing as a result. During this time, he was unable to make money, and was forced to sell his medals in order to eat, this involuntary hiatus affecting his net worth. In 2008, he attempted to leave again, escaping to Mexico. Successful in his endeavour, he then travelled on to Germany, smuggled onto a boat.
Lara turned pro in the same year after settling in Miami, Florida. He was first featured on the sports network ESPN in January of 2009, when he fought Rodrigo Aguiar.
In 2011 during a match, a panel of three judges ruled in favour of his opponent, Paul Williams, and were later all suspended for the decision. It was Lara’s first loss, though many believed he should have rightfully been declared the winner. His 2013 his technical knockout victory against Alfredo Angulo earned him the WBA light-middleweight title. Most recently, Lara fought Yuri Foreman on the 30th of November, 2016. He won in the fourth round, by knockout. His many victories over this period greatly contributed to his overall wealth.
Lara has maintained an impressive professional record over his career. Over 28 fights, he has won 14 by knockout, and 10 by decision. He has never been knocked out, has lost two by decision, and has also drawn two.
In his personal life, Lara never knew his father, and had a difficult early life with his mother, who had problems with alcoholism, so He was often left in the care of his grandmother. When he defected from Cuba, he was forced to leave his four children behind. Two of them are still there, whilst two have made it to America to live with him. He is still married to Yudi, and they live in Florida.
